SAB Offertory Motets?
  • adjpanderson13
    Posts: 23
    I'm putting together a small 3 voice (SAB; 1 male, 2-3 females) choir to sing for a few N.O. weekday Masses at my school over the fall semester. I'd like to use what's in the Graduale as much as I can, but since my my singers might not know chant all too well I've been looking for motets that have the texts from the propers, and use them either instead of the chants or in addition to the chant propers. I've found little to no SAB music with the right texts. I could do some SATB stuff, but that would require a female voice to sing tenor (which could be nice), but most of what I've found is too difficult anyway.

    Here's what I'm thinking each Mass will look like...
    Ordinary: all chanted
    Itroit: chant from Graduale
    Psalm: SAB Anglican chant
    Alleluia: simple Alleluia verse
    Offertory: motet
    Communion: chant from Graduale and a Eucharistic motet

    In regards to the Offertory... Because of the dilemma I explained above, I was wondering if I need to be using the texts from the Graduale at all. Can I just look up any motet I want and use that? Are there pieces with texts that are used specifically for the Offertory that I could pick from? Again, I'd prefer to use the texts in the Graduale but I don't think that's feasible.

    Answers? Thoughts? Suggestions? Any great, easy SAB pieces you're thinking of? All replies are welcome.

    P.S. This is my first time putting together a liturgical choir all on my own, and I'm still relatively new to the world of chant and liturgical music. Any help with this or advice in general would be hugely appreciated!
  • bonniebede
    Posts: 756
    Jesu rex admirabilis Palestrina
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXQuOQccCWA
  • adjpanderson13
    Posts: 23
    Already on the list, thanks!
  • CCoozeCCooze
    Posts: 1,259
    "Jesu, Salvator Mundi" (Menegali) is lovely. We have sung it as SSA and SAB, as well as just SA (missing a 3rd voice), plenty of times.
  • CCoozeCCooze
    Posts: 1,259
    Also, our OF choir will often sing the offertory settings by Dr. Jon Naples, many of which are also in 3 parts. I feel they can be very hit-or-miss (I thought the "descant" for the 10th Sunday OT was a bit out of place, and that the text choice for it was poor) but they do center around chant, and can sometimes be quite lovely.
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Adjpanderson13,

    PM me, so I can send you some stuff.

  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,033
    Here are some motets from CPDL and IMSLP that might work:

    Cruger - Cantate Domino

    Lassus - Eripe me

    Constantini - Confitemini Domino (a bit low for the alto but can be sung at a higher pitch)

    The Secunda Anthologia Vocalis is scored for SSA but many pieces can be repitched for SAT. It includes settings of proper offertory texts.

    I've also attached a version of Palestrina's "Jesu Rex admirabilis" with additional verses.
    Clemens non papa - Benedicite Domino (SAT).pdf
    179K
    Palestrina - Bonus est Dominus - SAT.pdf
    21K
    Palestrina - Jesu Rex Admirabilis with verses.pdf
    25K
    Thanked by 1adjpanderson13
  • adjpanderson13
    Posts: 23
    Thank you all for these great pieces, I'll certainly keep them in mind. However, my main inquiry is about the Proper (namely Offertory) texts, and whether or not I need to use them in the Mass. So if you have any knowledge or wisdom on the issue of my situation, I'd love to hear it
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,159
    The rubric (GIRM para 74 and 48) says the singing at the Offertory can be a liturgically suitable chant from a Gradual or from any approved source. Even though it says "chant" (ie cantus) it excludes neither polyphony nor hymns nor songs. And what is an approved source rather depends on where you are.

    So you don't need to use the proper at this point, but it's better to.
    Thanked by 1adjpanderson13
  • adjpanderson13
    Posts: 23
    Thanks, Andrew.

    And what is an approved source rather depends on where you are.


    Does that mean the sources differ from diocese to diocese? Do you know where I can find these? (My choir will be singing in Austria, and maybe Rome for the time)
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,159
    The Conferences of Bishops have the authority to approve the text of songs and chants which can replace the Mass proper. This applies at the Introit, at the Offertory, and at Communion. Some conferences, such as the USCCB, have been granted further authority, so that in the US individual Bishops can approve as well. Some conferences, such as ours in Canada, have an officially approved whole book of songs and psalms.

    Theoretically the Mass proper as in the Roman Gradual can always be sung. The letter of the law applies only to the text, not the music. The proper texts don't need approval. However, approval is complicated by several knotty issues, such as
    * the proper text in the Missal is frequently not the same as in the Gradual, so for some it may not be acceptable to use the Gradual even if licit
    * the Offertory chant is never in the Missal so for some it seems pointless to insist on the proper
    * the Roman Gradual itself has no official vernacular translations so for some it can only be used for Latin masses
    * The Simple Gradual, although it does apparently have an official translation, is for some right off the radar screen of acceptance
    * For some (priests, places, or even dioceses, cough cough) it may be that chant, Latin, polyphony, proper psalmody, or anything-but-hymns is in practice not approved, for "pastoral" reasons.
    Thanked by 1adjpanderson13
  • ClemensRomanusClemensRomanus
    Posts: 1,023
    The only official vernacular translations of the Roman Gradual, I guess, are for those times when they coincide with the Missal antiphons, which isn’t too often.
    Thanked by 1Andrew_Malton
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